Peppermint Lattes and Apple Cider
by taylortot
Summary: Mirai's favorite cafe is her favorite solely because every time she comes in to order a drink, she never has to pay for it. "Looks like you've got a secret admirer, sweetie." Coffee Shop AU!


A/N: Yay! A coffee shop AU! I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope I did okay with Mitsuki's character - it's the first time I ever tried writing her so much. I don't own knk but I love it a lot ugh.

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**Peppermint Lattes and Apple Cider**

Mirai's favorite cafe is her favorite solely because every time she comes in to order a drink, she never has to pay for it.

It started a couple months ago, during the beginning of fall when classes had picked up again and she found that working on her homework in the cafe was extremely beneficial. She always sat in the "hidden" booth, where she could listen to her iPod and work in peace without worrying about someone staring at her.

It had been her second or third time that week, but before she could even get the chance to settle into her work mode, one of the employees set her favorite peppermint latte on the table. Mirai looked up in astonishment and informed the woman that she hadn't ordered that.

The worker smiled. "Looks like you've got a secret admirer, sweetie."

Mirai blushed and said her thanks, taking the cup between her hands to warm them as the woman left. A scribble caught her eye and when she lifted the paper mug to read it, her stomach jumped in surprise. _Study hard! This one's on me._

From then on, about seventy five percent of the time that she visited the cafe, her peppermint latte was placed in front of her by one of the waiters with a smile and an explanation that it was free of charge. The messages on the sides of the cups always somehow managed to make her smile and she's grateful for the anonymous person kind enough to give this to her.

She knows it's the same person because of the messages. They always seem to pick up where they leave off, and if not that, they compliment her in a very strange way. Not that compliments aren't welcome, but she isn't used to this particular focus that the kind stranger hones in on.

The fixation seems to be on her red-framed glasses.

She will never forget the time she sat down to a cup of coffee waiting for her, the scribbles on the side of the mug reading _You look wonderful in glasses._ What an odd thing to say! Her nose scrunched as her cheeks reddened at the unexpected - if not a little creepy - compliment.

"How unpleasant," she muttered to herself.

She got used to it though. In fact, reading the messages began to be something she looked forward to. The free coffee was an added bonus. Sometimes, there would be jokes jotted down - cheesy things that made her embarrassingly giggle out loud. Sometimes, there would be a short story, words of encouragement, a crappy poem that didn't make sense. Sometimes, it was just _You look wonderful in glasses_ and sometimes, it was just _I hope you're having a good day_.

But it was always sweet, and the longer it went on, the more fond she became of the stranger and the little notes meant just for her. She even began taking up the habit of writing them down in a notebook, so that she wouldn't forget. It was unusual, perhaps a little weird, but it made her happy. She didn't have much else to be happy about with her life; when things got hard, it was nice to be able to pull out the notebook and skim over words that had made her smile before, even if it was only brief.

It's been almost four months now. Snow sticks to the curbs and she enters the cafe wearing her favorite blue scarf and a pair of brown mittens, her backpack bulging with the textbooks from her classes. Finals are next week, so it is imperative that she stay focused and study as much as possible, which is one of the reasons that she has been coming daily as of the last two weeks.

The cafe is packed with other students and Mirai is relieved to see that her corner haven is still vacant. She makes a beeline for it and sighs in relief once she's claimed her spot. In no time at all, she has her books open on the table top, vigorously studying her notes. The soft background music helps to drown out the other murmurs of customers and while she is completely focused, she does find herself a little disappointed when, an hour later, there is no peppermint latte free of charge placed to her right.

"E-Excuse me?"

Mirai looks up in astonishment, her glasses sliding down her nose. She blinks at a tall boy standing there - someone her age, perhaps - with a ridiculous mop of golden cowlicks and a cautious smile. His cheeks are red, but she assumes that it's because of the weather. Something about him looks vaguely familiar, but she can't place where she may have seen him before.

"What is it?" she asks, cringing when she sounds rude.

He drops his caramel colored eyes from hers and scratches at the back of his neck. "There don't seem to be any open tables, so I was wondering if I c-could borrow yours."

She really needs to concentrate, so she's reluctant to allow it. Her eyes roam over him briefly and she bites her lip as she considers - it doesn't take her long before she decides that he doesn't look like he'll be any trouble. "Sure."

His smile turns genuine, his eyes sparkling as if he knows something she doesn't. "Thanks, Kuriyama."

Her mouth goes dry as he slides into the booth opposite of her. "How do you know my name?"

One eyebrow arches. "_Shouldn't_ I know your name? We do have a class together," he says slowly.

That's why he looks familiar! In her embarrassment, she reaches for her glasses and plucks them off her face, wiping the lenses obsessively with a tissue from her pocket. He seems weirdly distracted by the movement. "D-d-d-do we?" she stutters.

If she was wearing her glasses, she might have seen how his face falls. "I guess the class is pretty big," he allows, hiding his disappointment well. "In that case, my name is Akihito Kanbara." He sets his bag on the booth seat across from her strips off his coat lazily. She does her best not to look at him, sliding her glasses back onto her face and staring at the text in front of her.

She's not very good with people; she can count the number of friends she has on one hand, so she doesn't know how to deal with a classmate who is also, she admits, acceptably cute. She thinks hard about which class they share, and suddenly she's remembering him with a pair of goggles and a laugh that fills the entire room.

"Y-you're in my biology class, right?" she says nervously, daring to peek at him.

His answering smile is as bright as the sun. "So you do remember me."

She doesn't know why she blushes, but she does. "I g-guess."

He laughs. Mirai expects him to take his seat, but instead he props his hands on his hips and smiles at her warmly. It's disarming. "You want anything to drink?" he asks.

Her lips turn downward. "I can order when the barista comes by."

"Consider me your barista, then."

She's staring at him, unsure of how to handle him, how to approach. It's embarrassing at how out of her league she is, how flustered and clumsy she feels around him. She doesn't even know him. "B-but - "

"I'll surprise you then," he interrupts, probably sensing that she's ready to protest. With a wink he makes his way to the front counter and Mirai watches his back as he goes, wide eyed and suspicious. He's awfully generous for a stranger, she thinks, unsure if it's because he's a decent person or if it's because there's something he wants.

When he returns, her heart jumps into her throat because there, on the cup, is a message scribbled in pen. Akihito sets the mug before her with a flourish before sliding into his booth seat, watching her as she takes her cup into her hand and reads the note.

_Good luck on your finals!_

Her stomach shakes and she swallows back a smile as she lifts the cup to her mouth and takes a sip; her face goes blank in surprise. It's her favorite peppermint latte.

Akihito smiles at her. "Study hard. This one's on me, okay?"

::::

She arrives at the cafe early the day before her biology final - she'd been studying with Akihito for the last week upon realizing that she knew nothing and he knew everything. He'd been pretty generous about it; they met every day in that booth and Mirai was feeling considerably more prepared thanks to his explanations. She was exceedingly grateful, so she thought that today, drinks would be on her.

It is, of course, a shock when she steps up to order and finds herself face to face with Akihito himself. He flashes her a charming smile and leans on the counter.

"Hey, Kuriyama. You're here early today," he says. "What'll it be?"

"W-w-what are you doing here?" she demands, staring wide-eyed at him.

He raises an eyebrow and gestures to the nametag on his shirt. "I work here." Her eyes appraise the all black ensemble he's wearing, the apron tied at his waist and her mouth goes dry. How long has he been working here?

"Y-you didn't tell me that!" she exclaims, flustered, resisting the urge to wipe her glasses.

"I thought it was obvious," he shrugs and then straightens. "Peppermint latte, right?" He doesn't really wait for her affirmation; instead, he spins on his heel and heads to the coffee machine. "Go ahead and sit down; I'm about done with my shift anyway, so I'll just bring it out to you in a minute."

How unpleasant! A blush rushes to her face. "B-but I haven't paid yet!"

She thinks he's trying too hard to be smooth, especially when he casts her a wink over his shoulder. A part of her wants to smack him but another part is terribly flustered by it. "I got it," he tells her.

"N-no," she spits out heatedly, pulling a bill out of her wallet and slapping it on the counter. "And get something for yourself!" She turns and hurries to her booth, sliding into it and covering her face with her hands. It's hard for her to come to terms by how embarrassed she feels. Not only has she been in class with this boy for the last four months, but he's also been working here? The more she thinks about it, the more humiliated she feels until her face is as red as a stoplight.

So as to distract herself, she pulls out her biology notes and buries her nose into them. Her eyes slide over the words but she's still thinking about Akihito. He must think that she's a genuine idiot, clumsy and unobservant. What does he find so nice about her that he sticks around?

She groans and drops her forehead to the textbook, her glasses digging into her nose uncomfortably. "I'm unpleasant," she mutters reluctantly. If she wasn't so fond of the coffee shop, she could take comfort in the fact that tomorrow would be the last day she would see him; he wouldn't have to deal with her anymore. Of course, that won't be the case. He works here and she's attached to cute messages on a paper cup and the taste of the peppermint latte. How unfortunate, she thinks.

"Ahhh, K-Kuriyama?"

Her head darts up immediately, glasses falling off her face as she glances to Akihito where he stands at the corner of the table. She can feel her cheeks begin to color and while she's come to recognize that he's quite shameless in admitting whatever he's thinking, his face is also looking rosy as she hastily shoves her spectacles back onto her nose.

"H-hi," she says.

He stares at her face looking dazed and she grows more anxious, unsure of what is running through his head. In his hands, he's carrying two paper mugs of coffee, and he's no longer wearing his apron, though his nametag still hangs on his shirt.

"Kuriyama, you look great in glasses," he finally says.

She blinks. "What?"

He sets the cups down on the table as he scoots into his side of the booth, his eye contact with her unwavering. "I've been dying to tell you. I love glasses, you see, and I'm convinced that you have a face made to wear them."

Her gaze is unwavering, steady and incredulous.

Now he drops his eyes to the table and shoulders out of the strap of his book bag that had been resting there. "I. . .I forgot to write it on the cup today." His hand clenches around his mug and he shakes his head. "No, that's wrong. I didn't write it on your cup today because I wanted to say it for myself."

Mirai feels her heart seize in her chest as she gapes at him. "Y-y-y-you. . ."

He laughs to himself, but he does look back to her, anxiety written across him in every twitch of his muscle. "I noticed how you always seemed to be by yourself in class. You looked. . .sad. So when I saw that you came here to study. . .I dunno, I guess I thought a free coffee might make you a little less sad. And I already knew you looked wonderful in glasses, but I had this theory that if you smiled while you were wearing them -" Akihito grimaces. "Sorry, I'm getting carried away, aren't I?"

She blinks at him again, her mind still stuck in astonishment. Her lungs ache and she sucks in a much needed breath, absolutely mortified by how hot her face feels.

Both of his hands grip his cup now, and after a few moments of silence he sighs and furrows his eyebrows at her, smiling tightly. "Jeez, I should have just kept my mouth shut, huh?"

To her surprise, she shakes her head violently, finally dropping her eyes to the table. Her mind flicks through all of the notes she's read on her cup the past several months, the ones that meant the most to her and how they made it easier to get through the day. How they gave her something to look forward to, however small. She thinks briefly about Akihito's kindness, how he's been diligent in helping her study, those easy smiles he flashes her. Her heart flips in her chest. She's only learned his name a week ago, and he's already done so much for her.

"K-Kanbara," she says softly. "Th-thank you."

Out of her periphery vision, she sees his hands loosen around his cup, the tension leave his shoulders. A smile without nervousness is warm in his voice. "You're welcome."

::::

Mirai cannot help the grin on her face as she turns her biology exam to her professor and bows out of the room, her hand tight on the strap of her bag. She'd been up until two in the morning after leaving Akihito at the coffee shop that afternoon, but she'd had a copy of his notes and plenty of coffee, and her optimism had been blinding. She feels weightless now, knowing full well that her grade on this final will be high.

All thanks to Akihito Kanbara, she thinks as she closes the classroom door behind her quietly so as not to disturb the other test takers. It's almost Christmas. Maybe she can get him a gift in thanks? Her face reddens slightly at the mere thought; she owes him for much more important things than just a grade in a class. Yesterday afternoon, she'd been sure that their interactions would dramatically decrease after the biology test was taken, but after knowing who Akihito was, what he'd done. . .

Well, she didn't really want to be through with him and somewhere, a part of her knew that he didn't want to be through with her either.

"You finished sooner than I expected."

She whips her head to the side to see Akihito sitting on a bench in the hallway, a book propped open on his lap. He grins at her cheekily. Mirai thinks his hair is especially messy today and she wonders if it's because he's been running his fingers through it since she saw him sit down to take the final a little over an hour ago.

"Unlike overconfident boys with glasses fetishes," she sniffs in a deadpan way. "I double-check my answers before strutting out of the room."

He laughs and dog-ears the page in his book before closing it and slipping it into his bag. "I wasn't really worried about getting out of there too fast, you know," he admits shamelessly. "I was a little distracted." Her face begins to turn color when he winks at her pointedly.

"You can hardly blame me for that," she gripes, tightening her grip on her bag and marching off down the hall. He rises to his feet and keeps up with her easily, buttoning up his coat before shoving his hands in his pockets.

"The sun was glaring off the lenses of a bespectacled beauty," he tells her nonchalantly, though his lips are curling with a smile. "And I don't strut. I stroll."

"You're unpleasant," she remarks, though that's not what she wants to say. There are many words caught in her throat, and most of them involve prolonging her time with him. Trying to be smart, she keeps her eyes focused ahead so that she can't say anything stupid by being caught off guard by his frustratingly adorable face. And she is smart, because just his voice makes her feel like she would say yes to whatever he asked. She keeps hearing him speak in her head, those words he wrote on the paper cup of her mugs everyday for the past several months. Somehow, knowing that Akihito is behind it makes the _messages_ even more special, not the other way around.

He opens the door for her once they reach the exit and she feels anxious. Is he just going to let her walk home? she wonders. She wants to open her mouth, to ask if he would like to take a walk, to ask what he's doing for the holidays, to talk about anything and everything. But she can't find her voice and she's afraid that if she doesn't say anything now, things won't be the same the next time she sees him and she doesn't want that.

When she braces herself - _don't think about his messy hair or his dumb smile, Mirai, don't do it _- she manages to glance at him and is surprised to note that he looks just as lost as she feels. His eyes are cast away from her, his lips worrying against each other, hands buried in his pockets. Somehow, that makes it easier. The dam in her mind breaks, the corners of her mouth soften and she pauses on the snow-lined sidewalk.

He stops when he notices that she's no longer walking and looks at her in confusion.

She bites her lip and resists the urge to clean the lenses of her glasses. "K-Kanbara, I'm hungry."

Immediately, his face lights up and something cold and dark inside of her begins to feel very warm. "Me too," he says.

::::

She feels only slightly fuzzy. It probably has something to do with the three empty beer bottles next to her on the coffee table of her apartment, but Mitsuki hasn't even finished her first and her carmine eyes watch Mirai with a commendable amount of concern. Mirai had been bothered by it at first, but the second and third bottles quickly did away with that. Who knew that her friend was familiar with who Akihito Kanbara was? That he had a history with Mitsuki Nase and her older brother? The world is far too small, and she drinks to that.

"He's not dangerous," Mirai insists, leaning back into her couch. Her voice draws out the words lazily, but she's plenty coherent. Truly. She's pretty sure she would know if Akihito was dangerous - she spent three hours with him at a local restaurant two weeks ago after the final exam, exploring his personality and feeling warmer towards his amiable character with every passing minute. It was only strengthened by her brief interactions with him since then and the text messages they exchanged. She was quite looking forward to seeing him tomorrow at the diner he confessed to loving so much.

"Mirai," Mitsuki says, her mouth set in a serious line. "My brother was critically hurt because of him. I know he seems nice but -"

Mirai groans and uses her couch pillow to stuff it over her face. "Mitsukiiiiiii," she mumbles against the fabric before pulling it away from her mouth, "he's the most genuine person I've ever met. Maybe there's a different Akihito Kanbara that you're thinking about."

"Glasses fetish?" Mitsuki raises a perfectly elegant eyebrow in her perfectly elegant way. "Blonde? Bit of a pervert?"

The strawberry haired girl only grabs her beer and takes another drink.

"Thought so."

"Looooook," Mirai slurs, fixing the crooked tilt of her glasses by pushing the spectacles up to sit on her head. "I'm meeting him tomorrow for lunch. I'll ask him about it, s'okay?"

Mitsuki's hand clenches into a fist against the arm rest and she turns her gaze stubbornly to the ceiling. The TV is on in the corner, but neither one of the young women are very attuned to the late night infomercial for Tupperware. Mirai downs the rest of her beer and sets the empty glass bottle on the table, curling further into the couch with a yawn.

"I know you're just worried," she says as her honey-colored eyes begin to feel very heavy, her words blurring together when she speaks. "I'm sorr. . .sorry to worry you. But I think . . .I think Akih_iiiito_ is good. He's very good, you know? I passed my biology course 'cos of him. A-and he wrote me notes for _months_. They all said nice thingssss."

"I'm sure they did. But good manners don't necessarily mean he's a good person, Mirai." There is fear in her voice; Mirai barely catches it because she feels so sleepy, but it's there in a small tremor, a weakness that Mitsuki doesn't often show. It's very sweet of her to worry, because it reminds Mirai that there is something to live for, that someone does care. But nothing Mitsuki could tell her would ever convince her that Akihito Kanbara is inherently bad.

"You're a good. . .a good friend." Mirai yawns again. "Th-thank you, for that."

"You're still going to go see him, aren't you?" It's not really a question, because both girls know the answer.

Mirai replies anyway. "Yeahhhhh."

Silence hangs in the air for several minutes, and the bespectacled beauty begins to nod off, only to be roused back into consciousness when she hears a shuffling. Her friend sighs very heavily but there is a smile there at her pretty mouth, though it is weak. "You ought to go to bed, you lightweight."

She can accept that Mitsuki is right. Dramatically, she sticks her hands in the air and closes her eyes. "Is this up or down?"

Mitsuki smiles again and stands to pull Mirai to her feet. "Honestly."

::::

He's staring at her with wide eyes, afraid, nervous, filled with a self-loathing that rings close to home with her. Everything about his expression is sickening familiar to her and she feels sorry that she had to bring it up. "H-Hiromi Nase, you said?"

Mirai gazes up at him, feeling her stomach twist. She thought that asking him at the diner was a bad idea, mostly because it seemed like a conversation to have in private. In fact, the entire experience had been so pleasant and Akihito had a way of making her feel so worth it that she almost opted to skip even asking him about Mitsuki's older brother in the first place. But, she promised her friend she'd ask.

When Akihito volunteered to walk her home after lunch, she frantically tried to find a way to casually insert a mention of Hiromi into the conversation, and it happened to slide in rather clumsily once they reached her apartment door.

She bites her lip and nods. "I. . .I'm friends with his sister."

"Mitsuki," he mumbles under his breath. Suddenly, his face becomes white and the breath in her chest seizes. He looks so afraid, and she hates that; fear and self-disgust do not belong on his face. "What did she say about me? That's why you're asking, right?"

"Actually," she says, astonishing herself by reaching toward him and touching the sleeve of his coat; she doesn't dare look in his eyes right now, "she told me to stay away from you. B-b-but I. . .don't want to." Her face begins to feel hot.

"Kuriyama," he says after a moment of silence. He grabs her hand and surprises her by prying it from his sleeve so that he can grip onto her for himself. "I have to work in an hour at the coffee house. I-If you want, I'll tell you everything afterward."

::::

She expects a call, but instead, he shows up at her apartment door with a peppermint latte in his hand and a fake imitation of his usual crooked smile on his face. Mirai is too astonished and flustered by his sudden appearance to say anything, so she takes a step back and lets him in, a part of her thrilling at the fact that she is very alone with him. She does not have roommates.

Akihito holds the coffee out for her and she takes it, her heart stilling in her chest as her eyes run across words scribbled in his handwriting along the side of the cup.

_He was my roommate freshman year. We were drunk. I was driving. He wasn't wearing a seat belt. His heart stopped twice in surgery. _

When she meets his gaze, she is instantly brought to tears, because every expression on his face is devastatingly familiar and she feels sick, so sick. His eyebrows furrow and a painful look twists his face as the tears roll over her cheeks. "Kuriyama?"

She tries to smile through the waterworks as she sits on her sofa, cradling the coffee between her hands. "I'm s-sorry," she stutters, dropping her eyes to stare at the flimsy plastic lid of the coffee mug. A hiccup stumbles in her chest.

"I mean, Hiromi wound up recovering fine," he tells her awkwardly, anxiously. "It's okay." He carefully sits next to her, and she can tell his tongue is tied, that he doesn't know what to say.

"I'm s-s-sorry. I j-just. . .I know how y-you feel," she admits brokenly. The tears were running for him too, she realizes, because she knows what that ache in his chest feels like every time he hears Hiromi's name. "I had a roommate my freshman year too. Her name was Yui. I. . .I was supposed to pick her up f-from this party." Her shoulders tremble. "B-but I fell asleep a-a-at home."

His hand finds a home at the small of her back, and his touch immediately calms her. She glances up to see him looking at her with the same expression she feels on her face, and she's relieved. Relieved, because for the first time when telling this story, he is not looking at her like he pities her. Relieved, because his face says he understands, not that he's sorry. His eyes tell her _I'm the same as you, I know how you feel_ and she can breathe easier.

"She never stayed past midnight b-because then things got weird a-and people convinced her to drink too much. She could never say no, so s-she was counting on m-me. Th-there was something strong in the juice. She passed out a-and never woke up."

He's quiet as her tears come to a stop eventually and she wipes them with her sleeve. "I didn't mean to cry," she says, her voice still feeling a little raw. She hadn't cried over Yui Inami in a long time.

His hand begins to move in circles on her back and it feels good, she realizes. She doesn't want him to stop. "Y-you should drink that," he says, nodding toward the coffee in her hands, offering a tired, genuine smile.

She presses her lips together in a watery smile, and takes a sip. Extra peppermint, she thinks contentedly, and then sips it again. His hand still runs in a slow pattern on her lower back and she finds herself leaning into his shoulder. Mitsuki's wish for her to stay away from him is null; Mirai realizes that she can't possibly avoid him now.

::::

The coffee house throws a New Years' Eve party. More specifically, the employees do, after the cafe closes down for the night. Akihito is ridiculously bashful about asking Mirai to come, but she agrees happily and readily. Her few friends like Mitsuki and Ai Shindou are out of town for the holidays, spending time with their families, and so spending a night with him sounds pleasant and very much the opposite of lonely. Feeling quite silly for wearing a dress, she's already blushing as she makes her way to the quaint place.

He's waiting for her outside of the building, leaning up against the wall, still clothed in his uniform from working hours. When he sees her round the corner bundled up in her coat and a blue scarf, his smile is beatific and her heart turns funny in her chest. Suddenly, she doesn't feel so dumb for wearing a dress and she finds herself eager to see if he will smile like that at her again when she removes her coat.

"Hi," she says as she pauses in front of him.

He reaches forward and straightens her glasses slightly, grinning. "Hello."

"You didn't have to wait outside for me."

"I wanted to be the first one to see you," he admits shamelessly.

"How unpleasant," she says, face reddening.

Akihito chuckles and pushes away from the wall, nearly bumping against her with his chest. Her breath catches as he avoids contact, though, and he opens the door for her, motioning her inside with a gentlemanly gesture. "After you."

His co-workers are lovely, and Mirai never strays too far from Akihito's side during the party. He talks animatedly with everyone, though it's clear that he's not particularly close with any of them. When they ask who Mirai is, he simply says, "This is Mirai Kuriyama. Doesn't she look wonderful in those glasses?"

"Yes," they agree with a laugh and a handshake. "Yes she does!"

There is a potluck of food, and the TV in the corner of the room is playing the standard New Years' Eve programming. Mirai isn't the only guest, thankfully; it seems that nearly every co-worker has brought a friend or two. Almost everyone is drinking alcohol, but she knows her tolerance is very low, so she asks Akihito if it's possible to buy a coffee instead.

With a grin, he beckons her to follow him into the kitchen where the pastries and lunch orders are prepared.

"I'm probably not supposed to be back here," she says as she walks behind him.

"The only people who might care are too drunk to notice right now," he replies, noting that its half an hour until midnight.

"What are we doing back here anyway? Couldn't you just make me something up front?"

"We don't just leave the supplies sitting out all night, Kuriyama," he teases, nudging her with an elbow. He glances over and opens his mouth - probably to say something smart and infuriating, she thinks - but he abruptly closes it and a new expression flicks across his face. Her stomach flops at the way it heats and warms as he gazes at her.

"It should be illegal to look as cute as you do," he says finally, meeting her eyes through the red-framed lenses. "Your glasses aren't the only thing wonderful about you."

The blush on her face is immediate. "You shouldn't say things like that about a girl unless you intend to do something about it," she says boldly (and without stuttering; she's very impressed with her self-control!).

He looks contemplative for a moment and then grins. "Alright. Stay there, and don't move."

She gives him an exasperated look - that's not exactly the reaction she was looking for, after all - but he has a devious sparkle in his caramel eyes and she's curious. Leaning against the counter, she plays with the hem of her skirt and stares at her shoes while he knocks around in the fridge. Her suspicions raise when she hears him punching buttons on a microwave, but moments later, he's got a paper cup in his hand and a smile on his face that's sweetened by the blush in his cheeks.

"It's my favorite drink," he says, "because it tastes like autumn, and that's my favorite time of the year."

He hands her the cup and she takes a sip. "Apple cider," she murmurs appreciatively, still wondering what this has to do with her earlier comment. Perhaps this is simply how Akihito Kanbara expresses his interest, she thinks.

"I was going to write it on the cup," he begins suddenly, after a moment of quiet. The kitchen is rather dark, so most of the light comes from the front of the shop where there are noises of general merriment floating in the air. Since her back is to the door, she can see his face illuminated by the golden glow. "But when I write on your cups, it's because I'm too afraid to say it for myself and this. . .I'm not afraid to say this, Kuriyama."

She blinks at him expectantly, but her face is already hot and she already wants to kiss him.

"I want to date you," he confesses.

What an odd way to phrase it. She can't help but laugh through her utter joy. "You're so unpleasant," she tells him with a smile.

::::

"Where do you want to go?" he asks, his fingers threaded through hers as he walks her back to her apartment.

She revels in the warmth of his hand. "I don't care," she tells him truthfully. The only thing that matters about their first date is that he is there. Everything else is just second fiddle.

"Then we can just eat at the cafe then." He's saying it to tease her as they stroll through the dark streets, lit by warm, yellow lights, but she's not phased.

"Perfect," she insists.

When they arrive at her door, she turns to him and looks up to meet his eyes over the rims of her red glasses. "A-Akihito? When you first told me that you were writing the messages on my coffees, what was your theory about my smile and my glasses?"

He laughs as she leans back against the door; his breath puffs out of his mouth and kisses hers, he's standing so close. "Fishing for compliments?"

"Depends - did I bait you properly?" she counters smartly.

"You don't need to bait me to tell you anything," he vows valiantly, his shoulders shaking with mirth. She waits, raising an eyebrow, and he smiles warmly. "Well, does it matter what my theory was?"

She blinks languidly at him. "Were you right?"

He reaches up with a shaky hand and hesitates for a moment before tucking her hair behind one ear. "One hundred percent."

"Then I want to know."

He looks thoughtful for a moment, his body so close that she can feel his heat in its entirety. Would it be too lewd to invite him inside, knowing that it wouldn't be a platonic invitation? Her face colors in embarrassment for even having those thoughts.

"I told you earlier tonight that autumn is my favorite time of year," he says slowly, his eyes appraising her expression. "You. . .remind me of autumn. With your red glasses, and your pale strawberry and orange hair." He takes her chin in his hand and runs his thumb gently across her bottom lip. "You have eyes like sunlight."

He kisses her, finally and fully. She reaches up to bind his neck with her arms, feeling her glasses go askew on her face as he cups the back of her neck and slants his mouth against hers. A sigh escapes her and he tastes like the apple cider they shared back at the coffee house. Letting go of him seems impossible but she manages it after several long moments and she can't seem to stop smiling.

"Here," she says breathlessly as she unwinds her scarf and wraps it around his neck. "Take care of it for me on the way back to your place, okay?"

He smiles down at her like she's important, and in this moment, she truly believes that she is. "Thank you, Mirai. I'll text you later."

"Please," she responds and pulls him in for a goodbye kiss.

::::

Mirai's favorite cafe is her favorite solely because every time she comes in to order a drink, she never has to pay for it.

It's been several months now since she first discovered the quaint little place; her last round of finals had been a week ago and now she was in summer vacation mode. Today, she's dragged her friend Mitsuki in with her, who looks rather bored though there are only smiles in her carmine eyes.

Before either of them can even get the chance to wave down a waiter, one of the employees sets a strawberry lemonade on the table before Mirai and a bowl of mint ice cream for Mitsuki. Mirai looks up at the barista with a knowing smile on her face and a tenderness in her eye while Mitsuki looks grudgingly impressed that he's managed to remember her favorite order.

"It's on me," he tells both of them, winking specifically at Mitsuki.

"I guess even perverts have their moments," she says before popping a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth.

"Thank you," Mirai says kindly, warmly.

The worker grins in return, his caramel eyes glittering in amusement. "Anything for a bespectacled beauty."

"You're unpleasant."

"So I'm told."

He kisses her forehead briefly. "I'll be done in an hour, then we'll go get lunch."

She nods as Akihito takes the other order on his tray to a woman on her laptop a few tables over.

"Thank you for being civil," Mirai says to her friend, radiating happiness. Mitsuki has always been bitter toward Akihito, but her brother seems to get alone with him rather well, despite the accident that almost took his life. Slowly over the months, Akihito's genuine personality has melted her ill-feelings toward him.

"He's gross, but harmless," Mitsuki replies, not quite the same tune she used to be singing about him. The bespectacled beauty nods in response and takes a drink of the lemonade, eyes catching on the square of soft paper left at the corner of the table.

Biting her lip to hide the smile, Mirai picks up the napkin Akihito planted there to read the note scribbled onto it.

_You look wonderful without glasses, too._

She laughs and folds the napkin, placing it in her purse for safekeeping.


End file.
